St Albans or Harpenden?! Please help!

[Tcos]

St Albans or Harpenden?! Please help!
We are looking to move from north london to St. Albans or Harpenden. I have researched st Albans and if we go there we'd like to be on the north east side of the city where the good schools are but struggling to find nice family homes that are only0 .1-0.2m from good schools!
Harpenden looks much greener ( i haven't been) and right move advertises nicer homes but what are the nicer areas to live in with schools being a priority (. Got a 2 1/2 and a 1 year old)
Any areas to avoid?
How would you rank the primaries? What are the most sought after in what order?
I will be looking at league tables in a bit but nothing like knowing based on experiences.
If we decide Harpenden which part of the city is nicer?
Thanks for your help
Need to move before the applications start for next year.

[ReallyTired]

Both St. Albans and harpenden are nice places and have good schools. There is a huge pressure on places both at primary and secondary level. Schools go up and down so I would not worry that much at your children's ages.

How important is fast trains into London? St. Albans has better trains than harpenden. I loved living in St. Albans when I was younger. It's a very lively place to live. If you like th buzz of London then you would be happier with St. Albans. If you want somewhere a bit more sleepy and quiet then Harpenden would be better.
Lots of harpenden families I know come over to Hemel Hempsted for sports or entertainment. Hemel Hempstead schools are a bit of a mixed bag to put it politely.

I could throw the cat among the pigeons and suggest you look at Bushey. I think that property in Bushey is better value for money and you have reasonable schools with access to grammar schools for secondary.